


Only the dead can rest

by Jackb



Category: Herbert West - Reanimator - H. P. Lovecraft, Re-Animator (1985)
Genre: Exhaustion, Gen, Herbert hate sleeping, M/M, Nightmare, Pre-Slash, Trauma, one bed trope, sleeping
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-12
Updated: 2019-07-12
Packaged: 2020-06-27 05:38:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,088
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19784356
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jackb/pseuds/Jackb
Summary: Return from the hospital, both Dan and Herbert are exhausted.





	Only the dead can rest

**Author's Note:**

> I couldn't rewatch the movie before writing this, please apologize eventual mistake ^^

The whole night had been a chaotic mess and it’s close to the dawn that Herbert and Dan managed to reach their apartment. In a way or another they had succeeded in avoiding police and such, the Hospital had been so much confusion that despite being in the center of things Herbert had dragged out his friend out of the place in time. It hadn’t been an easy for the whole time Dan had his eyes stuck on Megan. The serum had worked on her, but it had worked in the same way it did with the other, leaving the good doctor last hope crushed. At least she was alive, right ? Herbert remembered him.

The door felt heavy as exhaustion kept weighting on them. Dan didn’t make much effort and fell on the floor right away. They were covered in blood and dry sweat, they stunk death and medical products. But Herbert knew none of them would take a shower now. He was too tired himself to drag his carcass in the shower, even less to drag Dan’s carcass in a shower, whose apathy was draining his last bit of strength.

He sat beside his friend and patted him with a weak gesture. He felt sleepy. But Herbert West was one of those who hated sleep. He fought it as strongly as he could at all time. Sleep had a heavy cost for him and he never wasted an occasion to avoid that cost. But today he knew he wouldn’t be able to skip it.

He already felt sick about it.

His work purpose was all about avoiding death, curing it. And sleep felt like death. At a moment you were existing in this realm and at the next you were gone, unable to control a single thing, victim of whatever your mind, if it really was your mind deed, felt appropriate to make your face. Vicious torture with no escape and in the middle, the cold void of inexistence, of death. He was fighting death so he couldn’t in any way condone sleep. But it’s not like his biology agreed to this and he cursed it for it.

Even a shot of his serum wouldn’t prevent his body from shutting down, he had pushed it too far. His breath accelerated with anxiety and his body started to shake for more than exhaustion and what was left from the earlier adrenaline rush. He was not ready to die again, nor to be tormented by nightmares just to wake up disoriented hours later with a world unbothered to have continued without him. No, he was not ready !

He brought his arms against his chest and pressed them hard against him in a weak effort of comfort and protection. Even if his eyes closed for a bit longer each time, he still fought it.

Cain saw this and broke his lethargy just to reach for him and squeeze his arm tightly enough to catch West attention. They shared a look, something indescribable, but something that made the promise to stick together.

« ‘s gonna be fine. » Dan said.

« You don’t know. »

  


The good doctor nodded, which made his friend turn his head away. Dan didn’t mind and instead tried to bring him down on the floor with him. Who cared where they slept ? It wasn’t really the time to be picky.

Or maybe it was. Herbert resisted and shook away from the insistent touch. Dan retrieved his hand, he knew how difficult and sensible West was with touch. So he lay there until Herbert felt good to get up. He removed his coat, tie and shoes. If he had to do _this,_ he wasn’t going to do it on the floor. At least a bed brought some safety to his mind, barely, but it was still good to take. He grabbed Dan and lifted him up with difficulty and they both walked toward his chamber whiles supporting each other. But Dan refused to enter in his room, no way he slept in the same bed he had slept with Meg, not now, it was too painful, he didn’t want the memory. So instead they walked toward Herbert room. It was a longer way for their tired legs but they made it and crashed on the bed. It was a small bed, big enough to hold two grown adults, not big enough to leave them each their own space on it. Herbert had never planned to have someone in his bed, so the need for a bigger one had never crossed his mind. He didn’t have the energy to protest it though.

Herbert felt his body tighten as he watched Dan remove his shoes and pants, not like it was particularly a problem, but he felt sleep take him and he was terrified. He stayed still though until Cain pulled the blanket over them and the both settled on a position.

Herbert felt dizzy, his body shook from terror. He hated this. What was he going to see this time ? Once again Dan reached for him and he leaned in the touch, too exhausted to protest much. To scared to refuse any sensation of safety. His eyes closed, heavy. He felt his friend tighten the hug and rub his back gently in a reassuring gesture whose purpose was as much for Herbert than it was for Dan. Cain too, needed the comfort of someone, he had just lost Meg and even if he was still barely realizing it, the information infused in his brain, bringing him back to reality and really, he needed someone to hold, some human contact not to drive him mad. He was so grateful not to be rejected this time. It would have been difficult anyway, Herbert was nearly motionless at the exception of spasms and shiver, he was still awake, but barely.

« Wait your glasses. » He said as he removed them from Herbert and threw them gently on the nightstand. It was done in such a casual way that it made it intimate.

West snuggled against him, sticking his body to him in a research of stability and heat. He broke into a sob but was soon silenced as his eyes closed for good. If a tear rolled on his cheek, Dan didn’t notice. Himself calmed against the bony body against him that relaxed in his embrace. Then, he felt asleep too for a well-deserved rest. Not that West wouldn’t kick him awake a few times as he lived vividly his tormenting nightmare thought the night.

**End.**


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